NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke has said that Delhi Police may detain him ahead of the outfit’s proposed ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ march at the Central Park in Connaught Place on Friday, claiming that investigators are keeping him under watch at his home.
Addressing a press conference late Thursday night, Dipke also said that he was ready to go to jail for waving the national flag.
“Tomorrow, we will peacefully go (to Central Park) and wave the Tiranga. As the citizens of this country, if you consider this to be a crime, then you are the biggest traitor,” Dipke said.
“If we have to go to jail for waving the tricolour, we are ready for it,” he added.
The remarks came after the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) announced that the Central Park will remain closed to the public on Friday and Saturday for “administrative reasons”, while Delhi Police said it could facilitate a select group of people to wave the national flag and sing the national anthem at a suitable spot.
“If we say tomorrow that we will wave the Tiranga at 100 places, will you shut all 100 places? If you go to Narendra Modi's rally tomorrow and wave the Tiranga, will police cancel the rally? What a joke you have made,” Dipke said.
The CJP has called on the general public and its supporters to gather at the Central Park on Friday to wave the national flag as part of its protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged electoral irregularities.
“Declare officially that you will not wave the Tiranga. Then you are a traitor. Till date, no prime minister or any government has done this,” the CJP founder said.
He also alleged that citizens are being jailed for waving the tricolour, citing the arrest of his CJP colleagues Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, who have been sent to judicial custody after they entered the Jantar Mantar waving the national flag on October 13.
“Why does the prime minister of India hate the Tiranga so much? Does he deserve to remain the prime minister if he hates the Tiranga?” Dipke asked.
The CJP leader also alleged that vehicles without number plates were following him, and that Intelligence Bureau personnel took updates from the watchman outside his house.
“Delhi Police can detain me tonight or tomorrow morning, but I want to tell Narendra Modi that we are not going to be scared,” Dipke said.
“We are just saying that remove Gyanesh Kumar and appoint a new election commissioner in an independent, unbiased manner. We are not saying we want a regime change. We are just saying that remove Gyanesh Kumar, who is not even listening to his fellow election commissioners. Is this a crime?” he asked.
“This is Emergency. Narendra Modi is not declaring it because he is afraid that his image will be ruined if he does,” he added.